Container



Jan. 25, 1938. H. G. GRANT 2,105,425

CONTAINER Filed Jan. 16, 1937 Patented Jan. 25, 1938 PATENT, OFFICE CONTAINER l Helen G. Grant, Asheville, N. (3'.v Appntauon'ranuary 16,1937, seran N0. munisv 'Ihis invention relates to packages,-and more particularly to containers intended primarily for the packaging of perishable goods such as cakes.

and other bakery products of a s'oft and sticky nature. I'he invention is likewise directed to a method of forming the container.

` During more recent years it has b ecome the custom to package various products, including cakes, in a manner which will shield the same from dust, dirt, illes and the like. Since such bakery products are now usually distributed over larger territories than was customary only a relatively few years ago and are therefore subjected to added handling, many attempts have been made to not only apply protective wrappings to the products but to apply said protection while to a limited extent protecting the soft and tacky products from damage from normal shocks and jars. While containers already known in the art have proven successful to a limited degree in protecting cakes and the like they have not proven entirely satisfactory for the reasons that they are objectionable from the standpoint of expense or do not provide the desired degree of exhibition of the product without damage to the surface of the contained goods. v

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container for cakes and other perishable products which overcomes the difficulties heretofore encountered in the art. The invention contemplates the provision of such a container which is durable in service, capable of being produced and utilized at small expense, and yet one which is ornamental and permits the-substantially unobstructed display of the packaged product.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a simple, yet emcient method by which the supporting elements for the present container may be stamped from sheets of relatively inexpensive material in a condition ready for assembly.

This invention further contemplates utilization of arched crossed frame members secured to a supporting base in which the arched members overlie the contained product and impart greater resistance to strain in a direction perpendicular to the base of the package, and in which the arched members are caused to resist circumferential movement by an outer transparent wrapping sheet.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein;

. Fig. 1 is an illustration of a blank sheet from (C1. zot-44)- t stamping;

Fig. 2 is a top plan viewy of the assembled arched members and supporting plate made in accordance with this invention;

' Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 through a completely wrapped and nlled container formed according to this invention; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the completed and iilledpackage. 1 v

Now in referring to the vdrawing in detail, the sheet material from which the more rigid members of the present package are stamped by a die is illustrated at I0. This sheet is preferably cardboard, light wood ply or wood pulp board or sheet metal, for although many materials are capableof being utilized from the mechanical standpoint, in a device of thepresent nature low cost of production is of decided importance. Mat

board tough check railroad ply has been found to be very satisfactory for this purpose.

Sheetl I0 -is Stamped in a manner to permit as complete utilization as possible. It has been found that in packaging products of the type reh constitute projections which act as .fastening means for the sections I4 afterv they are assembled in the'manner to be hereinafter more fully described. l Y Y Sections I4 as stamped are constituted of the material in sheet Ill immediately bordering the respective sections II, and the sections I4 are separated from each other at I5. Additionally the cutting die is so constructed that a slot I6 is formed in one section I4 of each pair at the center portion thereof with the slot extending inwardly from its edge adjacent section I I, while the other section Il has a similar slot` I1 extending inwardly` from its edge remote from section II.

It will be seen that the parts of the container described above are in the form of flat thin sections, they having been stamped from at sheets without being distorted. Hence the sections may be readily shipped and stored in large quantities without requirement ofv a prohibitive amount of space.

In utilizing the present container in the packaging of products, a base section II is placed on a nat surface and a pair of arched sections I4 are secured together by placing the arched section provided with slot It over and perpendicular. to the section having slot I1 and the sections are then pressed together. d

The method of wrapping the morerigid parts of the container may be by wrapping in asheet of cellophane in any known manner but it is preferable that the sheet be folded under the base with its folded portions being secured by an ad. hesive, by sealing or by clips. 'I'he wrapping sheet not only affords a protection for the product against dust, flies and the like but it additionally provides a frictionally contacting restraining means for the arched members i4. Since the arched members are with the elongated dimensions of their cross sections extending perpendicular to the base of the package so as to resist compressive action said members normally present little resistance to transverse movement. However since the wrapping sheet closely engages the arched members the frictional contact had therewith materially aids the arched members and enables the entire package to resist shocks and the like as a unit.

When an article such as a cake is packaged in the manner described it will not only withstand the shocks of transportation in a large measure because any force tending to displace the cake will cause the cake to. iirst contact the supporting members which will make a slight indentation in the surface of the cake instead of damaging a substantial portion of the surface thereof as would occur if the cake were packed in a box but the cake will be displayed fn a substantially unobstructed manner with enhanced"eye appeal". It will be clear that the covering of the container does not contact the cake as is the case when a cake is directly wrapped in a material such as paper or cellophane. When, as in the past, the wrapping itself is permittedto contact with the surface of a cake or other soft; sticky article, a

portion of the surface of the: article adheres to ,the wrapping and the surface of the product is thereby destroyed.

The present container permits practically unobstructed view of the contained article due to 'I'he lightweight and strength of the present container make it possible to handle the package in the ordinary commercial manner at little, if any, increase over the cost of lhandling the article alone. Furthermore the` article may be displayed in thesame container in which it is shipped and the use of the arched members to form a hood over the product permits of color combinations of the parts of the container and the productwhich produce the desired appeal to the purchasing public.

While the particular shapes and construction of the parts of the container have been specifically set forth above, it is to be understood that modiiications in the various shapes and details of construction are contemplated within the scope of this invention.

. WhatIclaim is:

V1. A'container comprising a; base for. supporting a product, and a hood formed of a plurality of arch stripsin overlying relation to and each attached at its opposite ends to said base and a sheet of covering material overlying saidv arches and being secured against the under side of said base, each of said arch strips being relatively thin and of relatively great width and 'positioned with the greater. dimension thereof lying in a plane perpendicular to the surface of the said base ing a product and a hood formed of a plurality of intersecting arch strips in overlying relation 2. A container comprising a` base for support-n to and each attached at its opposite ends to said base, each of said arch strips being relatively thin and of relatively great width and positioned vwith the greater dimension thereof lying in a at its opposite ends into notches in the base with the greater dimension thereof perpendicular to the surface of the said base. y

4. A container comprising a base for supporting a product, and a hood formed of a plurality of intersecting arch strips being relatively thin and of relatively great width and a sheet of covering material overlying said arches and being secured against the under side of said base, the said strips being connected by means of notches in the said strips and attached to-the said base with the greater dimension of each of said strips perpendicular to the said base.

5. A container for display and protection; particularly adapted to contain circular products, comprising a base of substantially rectangular outline with rounded corners and convex sides and having a lnotch at each of the said corners, a pair of arched members conforming in outline to the outline of the base, said arched members being provided with notches at the middle thereof whereby they are connected together in perpendicular relatio'n, the pair of connected arched members having their ends inserted in the said `.notches at the corners of the base member, the

whole being coveredby a transparent sheet material, the said container being characterized by its resistance to strains tending to distort the same.

6. A package containing an article for protection and display' comprising a base of substantially rectangular outline with rounded corners and convex sides and having a notch at each of the said corners and a pair ofarched members conforming in outline to the outline of the base,

said arched members being provided with notches at the middle thereof whereby they are connected together in perpendicular relation, the pair of connected arched members having their ends inserted in the said notches at the corners of the base member, the whole being covered by a transparent sheet material, the said container being characterized by its resistance to` strains tending l said base member, each of said arched members being positioned withthe greater dimensicnthereof lying in a plane perpendicular to the surface of said base member.

HELEN G. GRANT. 

